Boxing day sales, sales, sales

After a busy few days off work, I decided to venture out to Westfield to check out the sales. The sales themselves were not brilliant but the sheer amount of people who managed to fit into one shopping centre was amazing! Every shop in the centre was overflowing with people, you had to queue for about 40 mins in every shop just to buy something that was 10-20% reduced. Me of all people bought absolutely NOTHING!!!! Can you believe it, I was shocked at myself, I tried really hard to find something I liked but I just couldn't find anything worthwhile. Mr M on the other hand bought a shirt, some socks, 'fat boy' sweat bands, trainers, cufflinks and a play station controller!

I think if I'm feeling up to it I'll give the sales another go later this week, who knows I may find something I like. Blogging of sales and not finding anything reminds me of a number of occasions when Mr M took me out shopping and said I'll buy you whatever you like, (usually after he's done something wrong and has some making up to do :) ) and i find nothing I want, how frustrating is that. I mean I am literally being offered a free gift and just can't figure out what I want. I think I am going to have to keep a wish list of things I want and have seen in the shops, this way when the time comes I'll know exactly what I want.

Here's a few things that come to mind for my wishlist so far;



These sandals are from Aldo's new collection



This has to be one of my favourite perfumes of all time



Ladies TAG Aquaracer :)



Quote of the week

" The world is three days; As for yesterday, it has vanished along with all that was in it. As for tomorrow, you may never see it. As for today, it is yours, so work on it."

Scholar; Al-Hasan Al-Basree

Courtesy of Rehan Durrani-  chief editor of Islamasaurus

Islamasaurus

Islamasaurus is a blog written by a cousin in law of mine, he doesn't update posts very regularly, this is because he likes to research each topic in great detail before writing each post, this way I believe he is able to provide a very well rounded and accurate opinion  in his topic of choice.

I was speaking to him about Muharram and Ashura, he mentioned to me he had written a post about Muharram last year, have a look at his post and let me know what you think.
Here's the link, don't forget to comment on his post. Happy Reading :)

http://www.islamasaurus.com/muharram-reflections/

Muharram

I've been slacking in writing my blog lately but in my defence I had exams which only finished on Monday. So now that I am free and have alot more time inshallah you will be reading alot from me. Christmas is always a busy time whether you celebrate it or not, I don't for those of you wondering. Tomorrow I have my work Christmas do, we will be going to the Paramount Restaurant at the top of the Centre Point Tower. We've been promised a great view and even better food, have a look at the link below to see pictures of the breathtaking view at night.

http://www.paramount.uk.net/#/restaurant/viewinggallery/


On a more serious note tomorrow is the day of Ashura, the 10th day in the month of Muharram.

Muharram is a sacred month for all Muslims for a number of reasons, firstly it is the first month in the Hijri calendar (Islamic Calendar) and secondly it was reported by Abu Bakr, may Allah SWT be please with him;

"The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhu'l-Qa'dah, Dhu'l- Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab." [Reported by al-Bukhari, 2958]

Being Muslims we all believe in the day of Judgement and without a doubt there will come a time when we will all wish that we had done more good deeds, fasting on the 9th and 10th of Muharram or the 10th and 11th of Muharram is an easy way to gain more brownie point with Allah SWT.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, spoke about the voluntary fasting on the day of Ashura;

"It expiates the sins of the preceeding year." [Saheeh Muslim]

Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah SWT be pleased with him, reported;

"The Prophet, peace be upon him, came to al-Madeenah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked them about why they were fasting. They replied, "This is a good day, a day on which Allah SWT rescued Baani Israel from their enemy, it is when Musa and his followers crossed the Red Sea miraculously and the Pharoah was drowned in its water. So Musa observed a fast on this day." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "We have more claim over Musa than you." So the Prophet, peace be upon him, observed fast on that day and ordered the Muslims to observe fast on that day too." [Saheeh al-Bukhari, Muslim]

Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah SWT be please with him, also reported;

"The Messenger of Allah fasted on the day of Ashura and ordered the people to fast too. The people said, "Oh, Messenger, it is a day that the Jews and Christians honour." The Prophert, peace be upon him, answered, "When the following year comes- Allah willing- we shall fast on the ninth." The death of the Prophet, peace be upon him, came before the following year." [Saheeh Muslim, Abu Dawood]

So it actually recommended to fast on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.

There are a number of things, such as voluntary fasts we can do in order to increase our good deeds, remember Islam isn't meant to be difficult. In fact Allah SWT provides us with avenues and opportunities every day to increase our reward and bring us that one step closer to Jannah, InshAllah!

Better late than never ;)

I've been meaning to write this post for a while, well since Eid. I thought it would be nice to show you what Mr M got me for Eid and to ask you guys what you got as Eid presents. Mr M got me the outfit I'm wearing in the pictures below. I don't know about you guys but I really liked the colour combination, its a bit different from what you would usually find.

Everything happens for a reason...............

Sometimes things don't go to plan, in fact many a times this is the case. I don't know about you guys but when I want something to happen and it doesn't I feel very disheartened, but I need to remind myself that there is a reason behind all of Allah SWT's decisions. We don't always see the reason behind Allah's deicsion immediately but eventually when we look back we can see why Allah didn't give us what we wanted at that point.

Here's a really nice story about this;

Once upon a time there was an African king, this king had a very close friend whom he had grown up with. The king's friend had a very positive outlook on life and held great faith in the Almighty Allah SWT. He faced each problem and situation whether positive or negative by believing and saying: "That is good! Almighty Allah knows more".


The king and his friend went off for a hunt one day. The friend was left responsible to load and prepare the weapons for the king but in doing so he made an error in the preparation of one of the weapons, so when the king picked up the weapon to shoot, it took his thumb away. The friend was obviously sorry for his mistake but also believed that there was a reason for this and he said "That is good! Almighty Allah knows more".

The king was angry by this and answered, "No, this is not good", and he commanded the soldiers to arrest his friend and put him in prison.

One year later, the king was out hunting when a group of cannibals appeared, they captured the king and took him back to their village. They tied his hands, and piled up the firewood ready to burn the king. When the cannibals came closer to throwing the king on the fire they noticed that he was missing a thumb. The cannibals were an extremely superstitious group of people and they never ate anyone who had any part of their body missing so they let the king go free and banished him from their village.

When the king arrived back at his town,  he remembered how he had lost his thumb and how today it saved his life.The king felt great remorse for punishing his friend and immediately went to free him. The king told his friend,  "You were right, It was good that I lost my thumb" and continued to tell his friend of what had happened to him. "I am sorry that I ordered you to prison for such a long period. It was a great mistake". "No", the friend said, "That was a good decision, because Almighty Allah knows more". "What do you mean by that? How it can be good decision? I ordered my best friend to prison?" said the king. The friend answered: "Remember that Almighty Allah knows more and if I was not in the prison certainly I would be with you while you were hunting". Then you know what would have happened to me, I may not have been as lucky as you!


"He knows what is before them and what is behind them and to Allah are all affairs turned back". Noble Qur'an, Surah Al Hajj (22:76)

Do not judge the facts or events for the immediate results! Almighty Allah, the Highest, the Omniscient and the Wise, knows more.

WMN

I've got a busy upcoming weekend, with lots of studying, travelling and a charity fundraiser all in the space of a few days.
For those of you who remember, WMN recently organised a 'Celebrating Muslim Women' event, all funds raised from this event were to be donated to the Imran Khan flood appeal. WMN have now been invited to the event shown below in Manchetser to present the money to Imran Khan himself, this is a brilliant opportunity for us at WMN who have worked very hard to bring together the Muslim and non- Muslim community.

The success and support we have achieved in a short period of time is just the start of what we at WMN would like to accomplish, we have a lot more work to do, many more misconceptions to break, and plenty of bridges to cross.

If any of you would like more information about WMN or would like to get involved please do contact any of the committee members, we are open and welcoming to new faces and new ideas and women of all faiths!

Thank God it's Friday!

Thank god its Friday!!!! Even though its been a short week- took Tuesday off for Eid- I am so glad that the weekend is here. I think my favourite day in the week has to be Friday after 5.30pm :)
I've got some exams coming up in December so my weekend will be spent studying or feeling guilty for not studying, what are you guys up to this weekend? Anything exciting?

Bellissima- UK FREE SHIPPING: 3 days only! (Started yesterday- 17/11/10)

Dont' miss this exclusive opportunity!

Only 3 days are left for the FREE SHIPPING.

Visit http://www.bellissima-scarves.com/ , choose your favourite scarves and place your order before the 20th November 2010.

At the checkout write FREESHIPPING and you will get your Bellissima Scarves delivered free of charge
Tell your friends too!!

Eid Mubarak

Salaam everyone,

Eid Mubarak to everyone, may you all have a blessed Eid. I pray Allah SWT brings peace, prosperity and harmony between the Muslims and non Muslims. Inshallah the coming year will bring with it the blessings of Allah SWT and His mercy on us all. Please remember all those who are no longer with us this year, those who are suffering and all those who are less fortunate. Also please make a special dua for sister Adila from High Wycombe who is in a coma fighting for her life. Pray that she returns from this critical state and is re united with her young daughters.

Mubarak to those who have completed their Hajj, a journey of a lifetime, may Allah accept their Hajj and accept their duas. May Allah also give us the chance to perform Hajj inshallah one day.

Ameen

First Jummah of Dhul Hijjah

First Jummah of Dhul Hijjah, Increase your Takbirat and Salawat:

Allahu akbaru, Allahu akbaru; La ilaha illa Llah; Wa Llahu akbaru, ALlahu akbar; Wa lillahi Lhamd

 

Allah is the greatest; Allah is the greatest; there is no god but Allah; Allah is the greatest; Allah is the greatest; and to Allah belongs all praise.

Allahuma Sali Wa Sa...lim Wa Barik Ala Sayadina Muhamad.

I've gotta feeling.............

I've gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good good night

I've gotta feeling (Woohoo) that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good good night

I'm really excited about tonight, we have sold over 150 tickets and are expecting a lot more people to turn up on the door! If you're in the area why don't you pop down to Wycombe High at 6pm for our Celebrating Muslim Womens event. Also remember the first fifty people to arrive get a Lush goody bag, so hurry on down! 



Lunch

Lunch time is fast approaching and like every other day I am confused as to what to eat. This is one of my daily dilemmas which requires alot of thought but by the time I finally decide what I feel like its three pm and I am so hungry I could devour a whole elephant! So people help me out,  these are the options or lack of ;

Pret- sandwiches have about 500 calories and the only nice soup is tomato soup but that's not very nice anymore, plus I can't eat soup without bread.

Giraffe- has weird wraps and burgers but only very limited vegetarian options.
Hare and Tortoise (halal)- had the noodles from there yesterday, don't think I should have them two days in a row.
Patisserie Valerie- will end up only eating cake and then feeling very very sick!
GBK- expensive and the burgers aren't even very tasty, better off going down to Holborn to Chicken Cottage.
Nandos (not halal)- don't see the point of having a veggie burger, burgers are not meant to be vegetarian.
Strada- they have limited veggie options, they have a sea food pasta but with wine sauce :( and their pizzas aren't great.
Yo Sushi -hate sushi
Waitrose- would end up buying everything BUT lunch!

Pizza Express- pizza is not healthy even though I try and kid myself to believe it is, but maybe i could have their Legara pizza, its a pizza with the centre cut out and filled with salad.

Pizza Hut- not healthy at all!

Subway- only healthy option is the veggie delight but that's bits of grass in a plain bap, I would rather chew my fingers off!

The problem the majority of these places aren't considered healthy eating and I need to watch what I eat. I end up eating alot of junk so am trying to be very careful.

Wouldn't it be amazing if every day Mr M could make me packed lunch, something different everyday. Mr M if you're reading this then HINT HINT HINT. (you think he got that??????)

Celebrating Muslim Women

Two days to go and the pressure is on, stress levels are high and its getting hot in here. On Wednesday 10th November the Wycombe Muslimah Network or WMN for short will be holding their second event for this year. This event entitled "Celebrating Muslim Women" is all about bringing together Muslim and Non Muslim women in order to acknowledge and celebrate Muslim Women and their achievements. We want to show the community that Muslim Women are just as talented, just as career minded and just as high achieving as their fellow Non Muslim Women. You will get the opportunity to hear about the journeys of some inspirational women who have come from within the community as well as hear the winning poems of a poetry competition held by Wycombe High School. The highlight of the evening will be a fashion show showcasing work from Muslim designers from around the world.Bellissima Scarves, Abaya Collection, Moroccon Kaftans as well as Islamic Design House are all sponsors of the fashion show with Samia from Hijablicious providing the styling for the evening. Make up artists Raheela and Hira Saeed will be showcasing their talent too. So if you still haven't got your ticket get in touch and book your place now. The evening promises to bring entertainment, fun and nice food so don't miss out!

Finishing Touches

I mentioned earlier on that I was in the process of launching my new business, well things are moving on and I am nearly there, so I thought it was time to let you all into the secret.

Finishing touches is an event management company that will help you organise any event whether it be a wedding, a party, a baby shower or even a conference. Tell me what you want and I'll do my best to make the event perfect. For any further information just drop me an email on nadia@finishingtouchesevents.co.uk

Mr and Mrs M

So I thought it was about time to introduce you all to Mr & Mrs M. So here goes, everyone meet Mr & Mrs M. Isn't it so much nicer when you can put a face to name ;)

Keema Parathas

The first meal I ever made for my Mr M after we got married was keema parathas, his all time favourites, actually anything with keema is his favourite. Since my mum found out about his obsession with keema, mum decided to combine her speciality with Mr M's love for keema and she came up with.......................keema biryani. GENIUS!

My mother in law actually taught me how to make the keema parathas, they are quite simple once you get the hang of it.

First you need to add flavourings to the raw keema, add salt, chilli powder, onions, garlic, ginger, garam masala, coriander and anything else you want for flavour. In fact add what you would when making kebabs.
Then follow the steps below;

avoid spreading margarine all the way to the edges as this will prevent the paratha from sealing properly

use a generous amount of keema

the trick is to seal the edges firmly so that when the paratha is rolled out none of the filling will spill out

roll out the paratha until you are happy with the size

fry with a little oil on low heat to let the keema cook

voila all ready to eat
for best results eat warm with some natural yoghurt 

Follow these steps and make your Mr M happy too!!!! Mr M happy therefore Mrs M happy :) smiles all around :)

Marrakech - Jan 2010

In Jan 2010 I visited Marrakech, then in September 2010 I went back to Morocco but to Fez/ Fes and Rabat. The pictures below are actually from my trip to Marrakech.

Beautiful mosque in the centre of Marrakech

Train station

Atlas mountains

YSL memorial gardens

Islamic Architecture

Leathered out

A month ago Mr M and I went to Fez, it was a brilliant experience which involved lots of food and orange juice (only 50p a glass!!!!! BARGAIN!) and even more shopping!!!We spent most of the evenings working our way around the busy souks in the medinas. For those of you who know me will know that I have a weakness for bags and shoes. When I see a bag or a pair of shoes I like my knees go weak, I start trembling, little beads of sweat form on my brow and my heart starts skipping a few beats. Basically if I see a bag or shoes I like I WANT THEM! So while casually walking through the souk I saw the most beautiful leather bag, it was a deep brown with shades of pretty pink, yellows and rich oranges. The most important rule to remember when shopping in the souks is that you WILL be ripped off, therefore never pay full price for anything. The trick is to decide how much you want to pay for the item and then begin the bargaining, if then the shopkeeper refuses to bring down the price, walk away, don't look back just walk away. You have to act like you don't desperately want the item and your happy not to have it. Nine out of ten times this results in the shopkeepers shouting after you telling you to come back, hes given in to your skilful bargaining tactics and is happy to sell it to you for your asking price.
So I decided to give it a go,
Mrs M- "Assalamalikum brother, how much is this bag?"
Shop Keeper- "walaikum salaam sister, this bag is 500 MAD (Moroccan dirham)"

note 13 Moroccan dirham = 1 British pounds, therefore this bag was about £40

Mrs M- "That is too much, I will take this bag for 250MAD"
Shop Keeper- "No, no, no, sister the bag is actually 800MAD but i give you Muslim price, your Muslim, I am Muslim therefore i give you honest Muslim price."
Mrs M- "500MAD is too much for this bag, its not full leather."
Shop Keeper- "But look at the finish (open us bag shows me inside) all hand stitched, very good quality, you wont find a bag like this anywhere."
Mr M-"Oh well, never mind, I'm sure we will find something very similar cheaper elsewhere, lets go Mrs M."

note- Mr M remained silent but when he saw I was about to give away his hard earned money for a bag that's wasn't worth 500MAD, he quickly intervened. We walked away, well Mr M walked away and gently pulled me away when he realised I wasn't going anywhere, I'd hoped he would realise how badly I wanted this bag.

Shopkeeper- "Wait , wait, come back, OK tell me how much do you want to pay for this bag?"
Mr M- " I'll pay 250MAD."
Shopkeeper- "No, that is less that what I pay for the bag, trust me brother I am giving you a very reasonable price, you are my Muslim brother I guarantee this is the best price in the market. I'll give it to you for 350MAD."

Mr M noticed a man's leather satchel. he has been looking for one for some time.
Mr M-" Can i see that satchel please."
Shopkeeper brings over the leather satchel.
Shopkeeper-" This is 450MAD, but for you its only 350MAD. Look at the finishing on the bag, even the buckles are of very high quality."
Mr M- "I'll take both for 500MAD."

Both for £40! There was no way he was going to agree to this, what is Mr M thinking, now we won't get any of the bags, and I want that bag.

After thinking about it for a few mins,
Shopkeeper-"OK fine, take it."
Mr M- "Thank you."

He turns to me, " see, its all about being patient!"

My leather bag, isn't it pretty!

Mr M's leather bag

So all was good in the end, we were all happy, we both got our bags and the shopkeeper got our money.

BUT slight problem, Mr M's bag smells really bad, well of leather obviously but the smell can become so suffocating that we have to leave his bag in the study. He feels really paranoid about the smell that he is really hesitant when taking it to work too. Any ideas of how we can make the leather bag smell less leathery?

Up to 70% OFF on selected items - End of Season Sale

Enjoy your shopping with Bellissima Scarves’ fabulous End of Season Sale.

Visit the website www.bellissima-scarves.com now and find your favourite scarves at an exceptional price… until stocks last!

Celebrating Muslim Women

Wycombe Muslimah Network (WMN) are holding an event entitled "Celebrating Muslim Women," the event will be a brilliant chance to meet other Muslim women as well as to enjoy an evening of celebration.


Ill be there welcoming everyone as the Chair of WMN, so come along and support us as well as helping us raise money for our Pakistani brothers and sisters who are still suffering the after effects of the floods.

Buried Under!

I came into work this morning dreading all the filing that I knew was piled up on my desk. One week in every month is taken up by tedious jobs like photocopying, filing, posting etc. All the jobs I  take no joy in doing. After working in my current position for two and a half years and having do go through this procedure at least once a month I have figured out the most effective and quickest way of doing it, but one thing is for sure. I HATE FILING! 
Last month my brother spend one week with me in my office as work experience. It was brilliant I got him to do all the jobs I hated and he just got on and did them! Oh the joys of younger brothers. I even contemplated getting him in this time for a few hours to help me out, but decided to save this punishment for when things got really bad.




9am Tuesday morning



9.30 am Tuesday morning



10.30am Tuesday morning



Then i got bored!! Maybe tomorrow I might just manage to find the will power to complete the most mundane job in the world!

Rise and Shine :)

I think the thing I despise the most is the singing (literally!) of my husband's spider man alarm clock at 6.30am. I want to snuggle up bury myself deep under the duvet and block out the singing. Instead I prod and poke my husband listen to him mutter something to himself while he fumbles around to find where he put the alarm clock. All the while I can hear some sort of weird song which goes like this,

"Time to wake up Ali (cockerel crows)

Wake up Aliiiiiiiiiii its time to start your day,

Wake up Aliiiiiiiiiii  da-da-daa-da-ayyyy

Brush your teeth

Da-da-airrrr

Make your bed

Comb your hairrrr

Wake up Aliiiiiiiiiii its time to start your dayyyyyy

Its gonna be a great day

Wake up Aliiiiiiiiiii  the sun is in the skyyyyy

Wake up Aliiiiiiiiiii da-da-da-daaa-- iyyyyyyy

Brush your teeth

Da-da-airrrr

Make your bed

Comb your hairrrr

Its time to start your dayyyyyyyy"    

And so it goes on and on until its switched off. The room quietens down and we both fall asleep again for a few mins until the my mobile starts blaring out high pitched alarm bells. Then it really is time to drag myself out of bed and prepeare myself for another busy day. I think this is why every morning I wake up with a banging headache and find myself singing "wake up Ali" under my breath all day at work!

Introduction....

Salaams everyone!

I'm Im Mrs M and this is my blog Finishing Touches. Finishing Touches is actually the name of my new business venture which I am in the process of launching. You'll have to wait to find out exactly what it is.

My blog is a way for my family and friends to keep in touch and to find out whats happening in my life. Currently I have a few projects running at the same time, i'm working with a team of girls in organising a charity event in the beginning of November, the event is about empowering Muslim Women. Keep an eye out for more details about the event..........

xxx